The Various Medical Uses of Cannabis

The latest cannabis news is focused on whether the drug should be legalized for recreational use, but many states and countries allow its application for medical purposes. Ancient Chinese medicine used this “herb” to cure various illnesses, and modern research is proving them right. Below is a list of diseases in which cannabis can be used as part of the treatment plan.

Alzheimer’s Disease

California’s Scripps Research Institute revealed that THC, the main ingredient in cannabis, could stop brain deposit formation, which is linked to Alzheimer’s disease. The research indicated that THC blocks the acetylcholinesterase enzyme from building the Alzheimer plaques in the brain.

In fact, their studies showed that it is more potent than any of the commercially available drugs used to treat Alzheimer’s today. THC also demonstrated its ability to prevent protein clumps, which are responsible for cognition and memory inhibition. The research also showed that cannabinoids slows the disease‘s progression significantly.

HIV/AIDS

Columbia University researchers reported that HIV/AIDS patients who inhaled marijuana four times every day had a significant appetite boost without affecting their cognitive functions. A 2008 study conducted at the San Diego School of Medicine revealed that cannabis also lowers the neuropathic pain associated with HIV. According to their research, the drug is most effective when administered as a supplement to a patient’s pain medications.

Aside from relieving pain, marijuana also helped improve HIV patients’ disposition and reduced any physical disability they acquired as a result of the condition. One possible reason for this is that according to the latest medical cannabis news, cannabinoid receptors are able to reduce pain perception in the nervous system.

Glaucoma

Numerous medical studies have shown that THC lowers the intra-ocular pressure (IOP) by 25% in individuals with normal IOP that have had their visual field changed. Research conducted on glaucoma patients and healthy people revealed that after smoking a cannabis cigar, the IOP was lowered by 25%. The cannabis cigarette used in the tests only contained 2% THC. According to the Institute of Medicine, the results of the study showed that 2% THC cannabis cigarettes are just as effective as other glaucoma medications commercially available.

Breast Cancer

Two separate studies conducted by the California Pacific Medical Center Research Institute in 2007 and 2010 proved that cannabidiol (CBD, a major component of cannabis) stops breast cancer cells from spreading by stopping the ID1 gene. The ID1 gene is considered by researchers to be responsible for metastasis, the process that leads to the growth of cancerous cells and their eventual spread throughout the body. By stopping the ID1 gene, cancer cells will not be able to spread and there will be a better chance of removing or killing the remaining the tumor.

Because of the results of this study and others like it, marijuana-based treatments are being looked upon as an alternative to chemotherapy. Research shows that the ingredients in cannabis can be as effective as chemotherapy without the side effects.

The latest cannabis news on the medical front likewise shows that this drug also helps in the eradication of brain cancer cells. According to a study conducted by the University of Madrid, chemicals in marijuana force the cancer cells to engage in autophagy, which is a form of cellular degradation.